Not filling out SP trees?

I'm finding with all the new SP trees to choose from, it's more difficult to stay focused on a single tree and take bonuses I don't particularly want/need simply to get the Finisher bonus. I know we also get to buy certain great people for filling out SP trees, and you still want to finish one or two for sure based on what victory you're going for, but I'm finding now there's much more incentive to just dip into a tree without completing it. Dip into Piety early and you can dominate the religion game without having to take more than a couple of policies in it. Dip into Rationalism ASAP for that 10% science bonus and so you can build the Porcelain Tower. If you're a naval civ it can't hurt to grab Exploration and Naval Infrastructure (+3 prod for coastal cities) and the other one, I think it's Merchant Navy, that gives you +1 happiness for each lighthouse, harbour and seaport.

Anyone else finding this?

Depends.

On early game I agree, but on late game if you play the cultural aspect right you'll end up with a LOT more policies than you used to have.

On my last game as France I went for cultural victory and I completed 4 branches plus the whole Freedom Ideology.

Remember that late game Great Writers are your friends. You can expend them to get more culture than you'd need to buy a policy.


Do not neglects the guilds, no matter what kind of game you are pursuing, do not neglect the guilds!

I agree and disagree. In my last game I opened Tradition for the culture and border expansion, then Piety to build shrines faster and got the +1 Faith for Shrines/Temples, finished Tradition, finished Aesthetics, opened Exploration for the Louvre, got some key tenants in Freedom, then went into Exploration a bit more since it was an Archipelago map.

I find myself jumping around a lot and not focusing on finishing most trees. Tradition has become even more important to finish, not that it needed any help; finishing Aesthetics is essential for the culture victory I was going for, but other than that I just opened a few trees for what I needed.

I find it advantageous to open several trees and then focus on one or two trees that support my strategy until the ideologies open up.

Hmm, interesting to hear that others have been having the same experience more or less. (And encouraging, I was afraid I was just screwing myself over!)